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In the weeks following Jesus’ Resurrection, He made many appearances to others. Right before He ascended into Heaven, He gave us work to do. These words are of utmost importance and immediately following them, He is taken up into Heaven. Obviously, the message should be cherished, treasured, and obeyed.
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV
ALL AUTHORITY
God has given Jesus full and complete authority, ALL authority, both in Heaven and on earth. Jesus looks upon His disciples for the last time before ascending to Heaven to sit at the right hand of God, His Father. He tells them words to obey then and words for us, as believers and followers today, to also obey in every detail.
MAKE DISCIPLES
We are to make disciples of all people, living in all nations, everywhere. No one is to be left out, overlooked, or excluded. Everyone is included on the list to be invited and to be told of Jesus.
They are to hear that the evidence proves Him to be the Son of God.
TELL THEM ALL
They are to be told the prophecies and hear of the miracles.
Scripture should be recited and read of His coming as foretold hundreds of years before His birth.
His death for our sins as the perfect, sinless Sacrifice should be told, understood, and embraced.
ACCEPTING CHRIST AS THEIR SAVIOR
People were to understand that accepting Christ as Savior and asking God for forgiveness through Christ was all they needed for forgiveness and an eternal home in Heaven. They were to obey His words for themselves.
The disciples, then and now, were to tell this about Jesus, and then baptize the new believers in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
They were to teach them not only of Jesus but to observe and carry out all the things that Jesus commanded us.
The lessons He taught and the life He lived must be shared.
SHARE HIS LOVE
They were to exhibit His great love over evil, the power of forgiveness, the strength of kindness, and about their Heavenly Father and His Care.
In short, we are to tell others about Jesus and make new believers everywhere we go. That means we are to tell of Jesus when on a mission trip in India or Africa or Europe or just at the grocery store down the street in Texas or the neighbor down the country lane in Virginia. Everyone is to hear of Jesus. Everywhere we go is our mission field.
NO ONE LEFT OUT
No one was to be left out from hearing and deciding for themselves if they would choose Jesus and love over the devil and evil.
It is a decision that people make every day with eternal consequences.
HIS IS ALWAYS WITH US
His last words bring me to tears each time I read them.
He tells us that He is WITH US ALWAYS.
As we go and share and tell and make new disciples, there beside us is Christ Jesus Himself.
He is watching, listening, and helping us along.
He is loving us as we go to do His Will.